After the White Light
by Darkpenn
Summary: Weiss doesn't know how much strength she has ... until she really needs it.


**After the White Light**

 _Weiss doesn't know how much strength she has ... until she really needs it._

 _[Author's note: This story takes place within Chapter 12, Volume 3, as Beacon falls to the dark forces.]_

Weiss and Ruby stared up at the broken top of the tower, where there was a storm of thunder and lightning, as Pyrrha battled Cinder. Weiss conjured a series of glyphs running up the side of the building. She turned to Ruby. "You can do this," she said.

Ruby nodded. Then she was off, racing up the ladder of symbols.

Weiss, near exhaustion after the creation of so many glyphs, saw Ruby reach the top, leaping up into the wreckage. And then there was a flash of white light, so bright that Weiss had to shield her eyes against it. The Grimm dragon screeched, and screeched – and then froze, perched on the tower. Of Cinder and Pyrrha there was no sign.

As the light faded away, Weiss saw something else. A small figure in red, falling, not flying, falling, spiralling earthwards, unconscious.

Weiss summoned the last of her aura, and a glyph appeared beneath the figure. Ruby landed on it, and Weiss slowly brought the glyph down. But it was fading along with her own strength. It vanished ten metres from the ground, and Ruby began to fall. Desperately, Weiss ran forward, stretching out her arms, reaching –

They went down together, sliding and rolling across the concrete. Then Weiss was holding Ruby, and she heard herself mumbling: _don't be dead, please Ruby, be alive, we need you, I need you, you can't be dead, please don't be dead –_

Ruby gave a little moan.

Weiss laughed in relief.

But Ruby was still unconscious, and there were Grimm creatures heading this way.

Weiss knew that she was not in much shape to fight. The crystals in her sword were almost depleted. She needed a weapon.

 _Ruby's scythe._

She took it from the holster on Ruby's back. She had never held it before. How the hell did you work it? She pushed buttons and pulled levers. Various blades popped out and then retracted. And then a bullet shot from the barrel.

"Aha!" cried Weiss. She levelled the scythe and fired at the approaching Grimms. Several went down. She swivelled and fired again ... and again ... and again. And suddenly there were no more Grimms in the plaza. But more were coming.

"This thing is certainly handy," said Weiss to herself. She put the scythe back into Ruby's holster and tried to get her to her feet. Ruby moaned again but showed no sign of waking.

 _No other way,_ thought Weiss. She managed to lift Ruby onto her back.

* * *

"It's a good thing you're on the small side," said Weiss to Ruby. "Couldn't do this with Blake or Yang." Staggering, she started for Vale.

In the safe zone, Qrow was supervising the loading of the injured onto airships when he saw Weiss stumbling towards him. He ran to her, and took the unconscious Ruby. Weiss collapsed to the ground, spent.

"Now that," said Qrow to Weiss, "was impressive."

"Please don't tell her," said Weiss. "I ... I wouldn't want her to think ... er, I don't know ... something or other. Damn, my hair is a mess."

Qrow stared at her. "You know, all of you girls are pretty odd, but I think that you might be the oddest," he said. With Ruby in his arms, he started for the medical station.

Weiss was not sure whether that was a compliment or not. She decided she would take it as one ... sort of. She struggled to her feet.

From above there was the sound of an airship. It landed. It had the emblem of the Schnee Dust Company on the side. Two uniformed officials got out and came up to Weiss.

"Good to see you," said Weiss, as they ushered her aboard. "You'll need stretchers for my friends, they were injured – "

But the door was closing and the airship was lifting off. "No, wait!" said Weiss. "You have to – "

"We have orders from your father," said one of the Company men. "To take you home."

When Qrow looked around, he was surprised to see that Weiss had vanished. Well, he would do as she had asked, strange as the request was.

Ruby moaned again. "It's alright," he said to her. "I've got you, kiddo. I've got you."

END


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